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[RC] [RC] towing engines lq trailer vs motor home gas vs diese - SpottedracerI'm constantly debating this topic with my hubby.Here's his experience, when he was partners in a fairly large Construction Co. They purchased a decent-sized Motor home, which they used not only for on-site management of the larger jobs, but also pulled an equipment trailer with. It was a gas engine, got 6-8mpg, and had good pulling power. Here's my experience, I purchased a used, 99', Fully loaded (King Cab, Custom-ordered by first owner for a HD 'one ton' pulling capacity)... It is a 6-cylinder, Cummins Diesel... If I'm not pulling, I get about 22-26mpg on the highway. If I'm pulling my 24' Gooseneck 5-horse slant - fully loaded. I'll get about 10-14mpg, depending on if it's flat or hilly. I've had very few mechanical problems with this almost 8-year-old truck (computer chip needed replacement, battery replacements - standard fair for an aging vehicle).. I have had a major complaint - I've had two brake jobs that ran over $600 each on it (think it was hubs (?) or something that always goes out of spec and must be replaced...)... The other complaint with the Dodge - is that when you've got a HEAVY load - it has problems keeping interstate speeds on Mountainous interstates. This is due to being only a 6-cylinder Diesel. Now I also have a 97' GMC Z-71 half-ton, It's survived two tornado hits (Parked in Nashville and Clarksville during their respective tornados) ..And survived my ex-husband's 4-wheeling adventures... And for 6 years I used it to pull a 4-horse gooseneck. Plenty of power, terrible gas mileage! It's now approaching the 270,00 odometer mark, still going strong with original engine & transmission.. The only complaints I've had with it, is it's getting body rust from underside-out and we've had to replace the entire muffler system (after it rusted and fell off)... My hubby's father swears by Ford's.. They are good pulling vehicles, being 8 cylinder Diesels they've got tons of power on hills. Do have less fuel economy than Dodges. Generally, they need reboring around the 250,000 mile mark (Dodges generally go 300K-500K before reboring - their bodies usually fall apart first **grin**) Of course, my husband will probably get his wish the next time we purchase a towing vehicle - it'll probably be a Ford.... Granted, we don't expect to have to replace the '99 Dodge diesel for another 10-15 years..... Good luck! And take your time looking! - LP
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